7 Best Sites to Find CSS Snippets and Inspiration

You’ve taken the time to learn and master CSS. And it’s probably fair to say that you’re a proficient coder now. Great!

But understanding how to code well with CSS doesn’t necessarily make you fluent in the latest web design trends. Unless you have unlimited free time to read through all the major web design and WordPress blogs every week, there’s no way you can reasonably expect to stay up on the continually revolving door of trends or know how to execute them using CSS.

CSS snippets are helpful in this regard. These bite-sized pieces of code will help you quickly and efficiently add CSS (and some really cool new features) to your WordPress site in a cinch.

However, hunting down these snippets is no easy task if you don’t know what you’re looking for or which online resources you can trust. In this article, I’m going to provide you with the 7 best resources for tracking down CSS snippets and applying fun new features to your WordPress site.

In this post:

The Benefits of Using CSS Snippets in WordPress
Time Savings
Consistency
Expanded Capabilities
SEO Enhancements
Bandwidth Reduction
Inspiration

7 Best Websites to Find CSS Snippets
CodeMyUI
Codepad
CodePen
CSSDeck
CSSFlow
CSS-Tricks
Little Snippets

The Benefits of Using CSS Snippets in WordPress

If you haven’t been using CSS snippets to develop in WordPress, here’s why you should start:

Time Savings

You’ve likely already found ways to improve your CSS workflow and write cleaner CSS code in order to save yourself time when building WordPress websites. CSS snippets will only add to that efficiency.

Consistency

Consistency is an inherent benefit of using cascading style sheets. They enable you to create a style for certain elements on your site and then apply the rule universally with minimal effort.

Expanded Capabilities

There may be times you decide to use a CSS snippet to clean up code in routine styling. However, the real beauty of using a code snippet is it gives you the ability to add something truly cutting-edge to your site that you might not have been capable of on your own.

SEO Enhancements

By using well-coded snippets that add to the user experience, you’ll reduce bounce rates, increase time spent on your site, and improve your site’s SEO. CSS is generally cross-platform and cross-browser compatible, which will lend to an overall improved search ranking.

Bandwidth Reduction

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with using plugins to achieve cutting-edge functionality or add more modern design features to your site. However, with each new plugin you add to WordPress, more energy will be sapped from your server. If you can find CSS snippets that help you accomplish the same goals, then why not use them instead?

Inspiration

There’s also the inspiration factor. Exploring CSS snippet resources isn’t just great for learning how to use CSS or shorten the time it takes to code. It’s also a good opportunity to find inspiration for your designs that you might not have been aware of.

But, again, who has the time to hunt around the web for hours on end, looking for cool new ways developers are using CSS? (Not you.) Keep reading to find out where to instantly find these game-changing CSS snippets.

7 Best Websites to Find CSS Snippets

While CSS snippets might not help you build entire websites from the ground up (after all, this is about applying different styles to your HTML, not about laying down a base), they’ll save you time and energy.

Click on a link below to go straight to the item or keep reading below:

CodeMyUI
Codepad
CodePen
CSSDeck
CSSFlow
CSS-Tricks
Little Snippets

CodeMyUI

CodeMyUI

CodeMyUI is a really cool repository for CSS snippets. You can see at the top of the page that their main focus is on UI elements we tend to spend so much time talking about (e.g. menus, buttons, images). However, do a search for “CSS snippets” and you’ll find that this site covers a much wider array of animations and features than just those general elements.

Here’s a good example of something you’d find on this site: a fidget spinner loader. Considering how popular these toys are right now, this would make a cool addition to your site if you’re in need of a page transition animation.

There’s also this breadcrumb snippet that gives you more versatility in how you style your breadcrumbs navigation.

And here’s a hover snippet worth taking a gander at. You’ll see that it applies a “smart” hover effect to your boxes or blocks, whereby they flip based on the direction in which your cursor passes over them.

More details: CodeMyUI

Codepad

Codepad

If you’re looking for a site where you can both find CSS snippets from other web developers as well as contribute your own, Codepad is a nice one to check out. It’s easy to search through (make sure to use the Playgrounds so you can get a preview of the actual animation/style) and also includes snippets for JavaScript, PHP, HTML, and more.

The sign in/sign up transition snippet is a particularly interesting one. At first glance, it simply appears to be a snippet for a short contact form. However, watch what happens to the form fields when you click between the “Sign In,” “Sign Up,” and “Reset” tabs.

The bouncing down-arrow is another subtle animation, but one that’s sure to ease your users’ confusion as they make their way around your site.

More details: Codepad

CodePen

CodePen

I’m sure you’re all familiar with CodePen by now. After all, this “social development environment” is a great place to encounter new code and work on perfecting your own. If you’re looking for some really cutting-edge CSS coding, this site won’t let you down.

Take, for instance, this testimonial slider. User-generated content is a big part of web design right now, so this one snippet would be a useful one to have.

This label animation snippet is so subtle, but it’s definitely one that would leave a lasting impact on anyone who enjoys the element of surprise.

And for websites that have important data or information to share, there’s always a snippet like this one that makes various UI elements pop.

More details: CodePen

CSSDeck

CSSDeck

CSSDeck is a good pick if you don’t want to sort through snippets for other coding languages. While you might encounter snippets here that combine CSS and HTML or CSS and JavaScript, the main focus is always to provide users with CSS-focused code.

Here’s an example of what one of these snippets does to give your navigation menu some more life. There are a number of options to play around with too, so you’re not relegated to using one default animation.

For websites that feature events or enable customers to make appointments through the site, this calendar icon snippet would be a fun one to use. The icon jiggles just enough to call attention to it.

Wishing your hamburger menu animation had a little more drama? This circle menu snippet might be the inspiration you need.

More details: CSSDeck

CSSFlow

CSSFlow

CSSFlow is known for more than just being a provider of CSS snippets. This site also has UI kits available to help you streamline and simplify the design of the basic UI elements on your WordPress site. It’s a great one-two punch if you’re looking for assistance in both design and animation.

When creating productivity apps and websites, you might want to build out task lists for users to take advantage of. This snippet is simple in execution while still adding an extra dash of class.

Here is another sort of on/off-type snippet that will give your visitors another reason to actively engage with your site through a simple toggle switch.

More details: CSSFlow

CSS-Tricks

CSS-Tricks

The CSS-Tricks site is incredibly well-organized, which makes this a nice one to bookmark when you’re feeling adventurous and want to explore what other types of snippets are available. You’ll find everything here, from animation transitions to setting up rules on how to handle text length.

For anyone who has a mascot they’d like to animate as visitors hover over him or her on the site, this shaky head snippet could be a cool one to test out.

If you’re having a hard time making the copy on your website responsive, this fluid typography CSS snippet would come in handy.

More details: CSS-Tricks

Little Snippets

Little Snippets

Although LittleSnippets brands itself as an inspirational blog, there are some very practical CSS snippets here. Specifically, this website seems to focus on collecting snippets that help developers apply subtle animation effects to images and buttons.

For instance, this image hover effect would work nicely on portfolio websites as well as news and media sites.

Here is an example of how one of the button hover effects works. It’s a small movement and alteration of the design and yet one that will grab your visitors’ attention.

More details: Little Snippets

Wrapping Up

You know what I love about WordPress? It’s a lot like a potluck dinner. Everyone comes to the table with their own contribution and you get to enjoy the fruits of their labor. That’s how I view free WordPress tools like themes, plugins, and CSS snippets. Developers don’t have to share their time-saving and inspirational tools and code with everyone, but that’s one reason WordPress so great.

As you can see from the sites above, there is a plentitude of CSS snippets out there just waiting to get snagged up and used. Whether it’s something as subtle as filling in a button’s border or something more in-depth like a page transition animation, CSS snippets give you the ability to quickly and easily apply new features to your WordPress site without breaking a sweat.